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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Today in Labor History—June 14

June 14, 1381
– Wat’s Rebellion continues, with peasant rebels capturing London
Bridge and the Tower of London and killing the English Chancellor and
Treasurer. (From the Daily Bleed)

Antonio Maceo

June 14, 1848
–Cuban revolutionary and guerrilla leader Antonio Maceo was born
(1848-1896). Known as the "Titan of Bronze," Maceo helped defeat the
Spanish and win Cuban independence. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 14, 1877
– The First American Flag Day was declared by US government (on this
100th anniversary of the flag’s creation). Howard Zinn said,"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people." (From the Daily Bleed)

June 14, 1905
– A mutiny broke out on the Russian battleship Potemkin after sailors
were shot for complaining about being served maggot-ridden meat.
Civilians soon joined the mutineers in revolutionary actions that
included the burning of granaries, quays and ships in harbor. The
insurrection was part of the 1905 Russian Revolution in which the soviet
(councilist) form first appeared. The mutiny was the basis for the seminal film by Sergei Eisenstein, with music scored by Dmitri Shostakovich. (From the Daily Bleed)

Battleship Panteleimon (formerly Potemkin)

June 14, 1914
– An Italian General Strike was broken through the treason of the
Socialists and their trade union, bringing an end to "The Red Week of
Ancône." (From the Daily Bleed)

Sheriffs positioning themselves to attack miners during the Battle of Blair Mountain

June 14, 1921
– In West Virginia, which was under martial law due to ongoing violence
between miners and thugs hired by the mining companies, state police
and vigilantes raided the Lick Creek tent colony. 47 strikers were
arrested. Within a few months, much of Southwester West Virginia would
be engaged in the largest civil uprising in U.S. history, as
10,000-15,000 coal miners battled cops and scabs. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 14, 1924 – The IWW labor hall was raided in San Pedro, California. Children were scalded in the process and the hall was demolished. (From the Daily Bleed)

June 14, 1928 – Ernesto "Che" Guevara, was born (1928-1967).

June 14, 1964 - Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in South Africa on this date. (From Workday Minnesota)

Dr. Benjamin Spock (MDC Archives)

June 14, 1968
– Radical pediatrician and child-care expert Dr. Benjamin Spock was
convicted of conspiring to counsel draft evasion. Spock, who was the
target of political attacks and repression by the Nixon administration,
refused to support the liberal McGovern and instead ran as the candidate
of the People's Party. (From the Daily Bleed)